1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to calibrating a system that determines information related to one or more gaseous analytes in a body of gas.
2. Description of the Related Art
Systems that determines information, for example a partial pressure, a concentration, a pressure fraction, etc., related to one or more gaseous analytes in a body of gas being delivered to the airway of a patient are known. For example, it is known to detect an oxygen concentration as the gaseous analyte being monitored by providing an oxygen sensor in-line in a patient circuit. In this typical configuration, one end of the patient circuit is coupled to a ventilator or other pressure support device and the end of the patient circuit is coupled to the airway of the patient. The oxygen sensor is located in the patient circuit between the ventilator and the airway of the patient, typically proximal to the airway of the patient.
Typically, over time, the accuracy of these sensors is degraded by “drift.” Drift is the variability over time of the sensor response to its corresponding stimulus (e.g., the one or more gaseous analytes). Drift may be caused by a variety of factors. For example, drift may be caused by deterioration in components of a sensor, fluctuations in ambient conditions, mechanical inconsistencies (e.g., displacement of sensor components do to wear-and-tear over time), and/or other factors.
While in some instances, mechanisms and techniques for calibrating and/or recalibrating of these systems exist, this is often a cumbersome task that may adversely impact the patient being treated by the mechanical ventilation. For example, a typical sensor calibration process may require that the gaseous analyte monitoring system, for example, the oxygen sensor, be disengaged from the patient and/or a gas source supplying the flow of gas to the patient. This may require cessation of the treatment being received by the patient, which may be inconvenient and/or impractical.
In some cases, conventional calibration solutions may require additional equipment and/or resources, such as sample gaseous mixtures, external processing capabilities, and/or other equipment or resources in order to conduct the sensor calibration. The requirement of additional equipment and/or resources may impede the convenience and/or practicality of accurately calibrating the sensor. Other drawbacks associated with known calibration solutions for sensors that determine information related to one or more gaseous analytes in a body of gas also exist.